Man wanted for series of 'grab and go' retail thefts arrested in Inglewood
LOS ANGELES - A man wanted in a series of "grab and go" thefts was arrested Wednesday in Inglewood.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says Julian Gutierrez was involved in a robbery at the Nike Store in East LA as well as multiple "grab and go" style retail thefts which occurred from February through April.
Detectives say Gutierrez had thousands of dollars worth of new clothing in his vehicle at the time of his arrest. Officials say the clothes had tags and security devices still attached. Losses from the Nike store are estimated at over $150,000.00.
Gutierrez is believed to be part of a larger group of thieves and "utilizes juveniles to assist in commission of the crimes", according to statement from the sheriff’s office. At least one juvenile is in custody in connection with the Nike Store thefts and is suspected in many others.
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"At the time of arrest, Suspect Gutierrez was out of custody on court ordered "ankle monitoring" as a result of a late 2021 Robbery arrest, as well as out of custody on his "Own Recognizance" resulting from an early February Grand Theft arrest in Torrance," read a statement from the department.
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Officials say Gutierrez admitted to several recent "grab and go" thefts in Southern California region, including thefts from a Ross store in Huntington Park and Downtown Los Angeles.
Detectives are working closely with other local law enforcement agencies to determine how many additional crimes Gutierrez and his "crew" may be responsible for.
He was booked into the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s East Los Angeles Station for Robbery and Grand Theft and is being held on $55,000 bail.
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